Accra, March 31, GNA—Dr Albert Akpalu, Senior Neurologist and Consultant, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, has appealed to government to equip all regional hospitals with a Computed Tomography (CT) scan for the early detection and treatment of stroke.
He said the scarcity of the equipment in Ghana had caused an inconvenience, where patients had to make long journeys outside their regions to access such services.
“To make the diagnosis for stroke, you need a CT scan and currently this equipment is unavailable in many parts of the country. We need a one region, one CT scan initiative to help Stroke Units manage stroke,” he said.
Stroke occurs when there is a decrease or blockage in the brain’s blood supply. In every six minutes, an indigenous African succumbs to stroke.
In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), up to 40 per cent of stroke patients die within 30 days of ictus and 84 per cent die within three years of a stroke diagnosis.
Dr Akpalu made the appeal on Thursday at the 4th National Stroke Survivors Day Symposium 2022 held in Accra.
It was on the theme: “Continuum Care for Stroke Survivors- From Admission through Acute Care to Rehabilitation and Integration into Community Life after Stroke.”
The event was organised by the Stroke Association Support Network -Ghana (SASNET-Ghana), in collaboration with the Korle-Bu Stroke Unit and the Ghana Non-Communicable Disease Alliance (GhNCD Alliance).
The Neurologist called for the enhancement of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) cover for stroke and suggested that a Stroke Fund should be created to mobilise funds to support patients.
Dr Apkalu advised Ghanaians to be conscious of their health by managing stress levels, eating healthily, getting enough rest or sleep, exercising regularly, and having periodic checkups.
Chief Dr Ben S. Jabuni, President, SASNET-Ghana ,said knowledge on stroke was low in Ghana because citizens mostly ascribed a spiritual explanation to the condition, instead of looking at it from the medical point of view.
He said the habit of giving a spiritual connotation to stroke, had caused most patients to go into hiding, thereby making it difficult to gather data on the number of Ghanaians suffering from the condition.
The President said as part of activities, SASNET-Ghana was embarking on public education to increase awareness on stroke.
He also said talks were ongoing with the Government, precisely all Members of Parliament to establish 275 constituency-based rehabilitation centres.
Chief Dr Jabuni said the rehabilitation centres would allow caretakers to give proper care to stroke patients who had been discharged from the hospitals, to help them adjust to community life.
GNA